Wolf Ademeit, born 1954, lives in Duisburg, Germany. The author prefers calling himself a hobbyist, though his professional life has been always closely connected with this field – he owns an advertising agency and a photo studio. Wolf Ademeit first took interest in photography when studying lithographer's craft and it's been his passion since, for more than 30 years now.
It's Ademeit's distinctive approach that makes his works stand out of a long row of ever trendy black and white photography adepts or, speaking of his most known series, animalist masters. Unique of the author is his 'hobbyist' choice to capture expressive portraits of zoo animals. Rather than focusing on wildlife in their naturally beautiful habitats, Ademeit finds charm and personality in the facial expressions of his subjects alone. Call it 'animal portraits', if you wish. More than simply keeping a visual record, the photographer provides an artistic portrayal that is often reserved for human portraiture.
Says the author: "Only a few photographers use the photography of animals in zoos as an art form. I think this is a missed opportunity… With my pictures I would like to move the photography of these animals in the focus of the art photography and show photos which are not only purely documentary."
Ademeit's incredibly artistic collection of images offers a wide range of emotions, capturing every grimace, ferocious roar, tender kiss, and twinkle in the varied creatures' eyes, each caught within a second of the animal's position he sought for. No wonder his highly acclaimed Animals series took 5 years to finish, patience being a part of the author's talent and mastership.
-Vadim Yatsenko
Bruice Collections, Kiew
The giraffe (Giraffa) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant
It is traditionally considered to be one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, with nine subspecies. However the existance of up to eight extant giraffe species have been described, based upon research into the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, as well as morphological measurements of Giraffa. Seven other species are extinct, prehistoric species known from fossils.
The giraffe's chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones, and its distinctive coat patterns. It is classified under the family Giraffidae, along with its closest extant relative, the okapi. Its scattered range extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south, and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east. Giraffes usually inhabit savannahs and woodlands. Their food source is leaves, fruits and flowers of woody plants, primarily acacia species, which they browse at heights most other herbivores cannot reach. They may be preyed on by lions, leopards, spotted hyenas and African wild dogs. Giraffes live in herds of related females and their offspring, or bachelor herds of unrelated adult males, but are gregarious and may gather in large aggregations. Males establish social hierarchies through "necking", which are combat bouts where the neck is used as a weapon. Dominant males gain mating access to females, which bear the sole responsibility for raising the young.
The giraffe has intrigued various cultures, both ancient and modern, for its peculiar appearance, and has often been featured in paintings, books, and cartoons. It is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as Vulnerable to extinction, and has been extirpated from many parts of its former range. Giraffes are still found in numerous national parks and game reserves but estimations as of 2016 indicate that there are approximately 97,500 members of Giraffa in the wild. More than 1,600 were kept in zoos in 2010.
Source: Wikipedia
Of the three known giraffe species, one is nearly extinct, one is critically endangered, and the third is severely depleted....
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